You ever have one of those days? Days that almost make you believe in magic?
It was my 25th birthday. 19 years ago. I was young, strong and in love. Well, I thought I was at the time. My birthday was on a Saturday and me and the young lady spent the day together. An early breakfast, then we drove around to used bookstores and thrift shops…my kind of day. I had recently seen and loved The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink. This filmmaker, John Hughes, was on a roll and had a brand new one out. It was called, of course, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. We saw a Twilight Show that evening.
At a glance, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off might look like another teenage wish-fullfilment story. After all, Ferris is good looking, has a dynamite girlfriend, well-to-do parents and a devoted best bud who is just geeky enough to make him feel superior most of the time. Not to mention being wildly popular at his school. Brains, jocks, geeks and freaks all adore Ferris.
I think there’s more going on in the movie than a kid hooking school and having a great day. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off touches on other, bigger things, such as slowing down our lives to appreciate great art, or a fine restaurant, or parts of the city we are less than familiar with. Really experience them. Become a part of things. It’s also about love and family being more important than material possesions. Not least, Ferris Bueller is about taking the time and effort to cheer a pal up.
Not to say that Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is a totally serious picture. It’s a farce, a fable and a fantasy. A day every kid and most adults would love to experience. A perfect day, one to cherish in memories forever. Few or none of us will ever have a day as wonderful as Ferris has in the movie, but we have those days where everything clicks and life is so sweet that it hurts.
Matthew Broderick is amazing in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. He owns every frame of the film in which he appears. And it looks so damned effortless, like Fred Astaire’s dancing or Stephen King at his best. I read that John Hughes shot the beginning scenes of the movie last, so Broderick would be the most comfortable and in command of the character, in order to grab the viewer immediately. I’d say that it worked.
I think Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is Hughes’ best film and it’s one that makes me almost believe in divinity. On rare occasions a writer or artist or musician or filmmaker will hit every note so perfectly that I can only hang my jaw in amazement. This is one of them.
A few years ago, I bought Ferris Bueller’s Day Off on DVD and told the kids that they were going to watch it. They took a look at the dorky-looking cover and were practically gagging. I ordered them to sit down, RIGHT NOW, and watch this movie. Demanded it. It didn’t take long before they were laughing out loud and during the scene where Ferris is lip-synching to The Beatles’ Twist and Shout, our daughters Europa and India were dancing with joy in front of the TV set. As soon as the movie was over, Europa asked, “Can we watch it again tomorrow night?”
It seems to me that the older you get, the farther apart those magic days come. Oh, I’m happier now than I was in those days, but youth has a lot to do with the feeling, I think. You get tired and slower. I’ve been depressed for a number of reasons for the last few days and I thought that a touch of the old Ferris Bueller magic might be the antidote tonight.
It was my 25th birthday. 19 years ago. I was young, strong and in love. Well, I thought I was at the time. My birthday was on a Saturday and me and the young lady spent the day together. An early breakfast, then we drove around to used bookstores and thrift shops…my kind of day. I had recently seen and loved The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink. This filmmaker, John Hughes, was on a roll and had a brand new one out. It was called, of course, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. We saw a Twilight Show that evening.
At a glance, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off might look like another teenage wish-fullfilment story. After all, Ferris is good looking, has a dynamite girlfriend, well-to-do parents and a devoted best bud who is just geeky enough to make him feel superior most of the time. Not to mention being wildly popular at his school. Brains, jocks, geeks and freaks all adore Ferris.
I think there’s more going on in the movie than a kid hooking school and having a great day. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off touches on other, bigger things, such as slowing down our lives to appreciate great art, or a fine restaurant, or parts of the city we are less than familiar with. Really experience them. Become a part of things. It’s also about love and family being more important than material possesions. Not least, Ferris Bueller is about taking the time and effort to cheer a pal up.
Not to say that Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is a totally serious picture. It’s a farce, a fable and a fantasy. A day every kid and most adults would love to experience. A perfect day, one to cherish in memories forever. Few or none of us will ever have a day as wonderful as Ferris has in the movie, but we have those days where everything clicks and life is so sweet that it hurts.
Matthew Broderick is amazing in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. He owns every frame of the film in which he appears. And it looks so damned effortless, like Fred Astaire’s dancing or Stephen King at his best. I read that John Hughes shot the beginning scenes of the movie last, so Broderick would be the most comfortable and in command of the character, in order to grab the viewer immediately. I’d say that it worked.
I think Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is Hughes’ best film and it’s one that makes me almost believe in divinity. On rare occasions a writer or artist or musician or filmmaker will hit every note so perfectly that I can only hang my jaw in amazement. This is one of them.
A few years ago, I bought Ferris Bueller’s Day Off on DVD and told the kids that they were going to watch it. They took a look at the dorky-looking cover and were practically gagging. I ordered them to sit down, RIGHT NOW, and watch this movie. Demanded it. It didn’t take long before they were laughing out loud and during the scene where Ferris is lip-synching to The Beatles’ Twist and Shout, our daughters Europa and India were dancing with joy in front of the TV set. As soon as the movie was over, Europa asked, “Can we watch it again tomorrow night?”
It seems to me that the older you get, the farther apart those magic days come. Oh, I’m happier now than I was in those days, but youth has a lot to do with the feeling, I think. You get tired and slower. I’ve been depressed for a number of reasons for the last few days and I thought that a touch of the old Ferris Bueller magic might be the antidote tonight.
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